Aili Xu
A. XU
Design · Retail · Content S/S 2026  VOL. 01

ailixu

Visual Communication Designer Brand Co‑Founder Retail Operations Content Creator
based inLondon email[email protected] student email[email protected] phone+44 7882 059167 linkedin/in/aili-xu

About

01 — Profile

Aili trained as a visual communication designer, is now reading for an M.A. in Global Fashion Retailing at London College of Fashion, UAL, and works the full width of the fashion industry — design, retail operations, and content, usually all at once. She co-founded Miss Swan, a resort-wear label built on her own market research, where she owns everything from fabric selection to packaging to the Taobao storefront, and has spent her internships inside the operations of a fashion-tech company, a wine retailer, a heritage footwear brand, and Shanghai Fashion Week.

Alongside that, she's built a fashion content practice with a loyal, style-minded audience — sharing photography and outfit direction, and partnering with brands who want to reach it. The thread running through all of it: a designer's eye applied to how things actually get made, sold, and seen.

London College of Fashion, UAL
M.A. Global Fashion Retailing · Sep 2026 – Present
Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts
B.A. Visual Communication Design · Sep 2021 – Jun 2025
GPA
— 3.9 / 5.0 (89 / 100), top 3 of 60+
Honors
— First-Class Scholarship, 2022–2024

Experience

02 — Reverse Chronological
01

Shenzhen SanWu Fashion Technology Co., Ltd.

Retail Operations Intern · Full-time

Coordinates day-to-day retail operations — product logistics, materials, and cross-department requests — while compiling online and offline sales data into weekly reports and competitor analyses. Occasionally on set for product and campaign photoshoots.

Sep 2025 – Present
02

Guangzhou Zhenghua Winery Co., Ltd.

Retail Operations Intern · Full-time

Kept price, inventory, and product status consistent across Taobao and the company's own site. Prepared documentation for sales campaigns, package deals, and VIP pricing, and tracked sell-through to support restocking calls.

Apr – Sep 2025
03

RED DRAGONFLY

New Media Operations Intern · Full-time

Planned and published content across WeChat and Xiaohongshu (小红书), lifting social engagement 25%. Built platform-specific copy and visuals in line with brand identity, and refined direction using audience feedback.

Jun – Aug 2024
04

Miss Swan

Co-founder · Part-time

Owns the product lifecycle end to end — working with manufacturers and suppliers on fabric, samples, and revisions; designing the brand's visual identity (logo, packaging, tags); and running launches and pre-sales on Taobao (淘宝) alongside marketing across Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and WeChat.

Mar 2024 – Present
05

Fashion Influencer

Content Creator · Part-time

Shares styling and photography with an audience of 18–25-year-old women across China and overseas. Partners with fashion and beauty brands on tailored campaigns while growing the practice through consistent, feedback-driven content.

Ongoing
06

Shanghai Fashion Week SS2024 · OSMOS

Brand Intern · Full-time

Ran exhibition setup and brand presentation on-site and supported buyers with tailored display solutions, contributing to a visible lift in booth attention and order conversion. Authored a post-event report for Victoria's Secret on positioning and market strategy.

Oct 2023

Selected Work

03 — Three Plates
Plate I — Brand Venture

Miss Swan

A resort-wear label built from a year of her own research — a 121-response survey and a six-woman focus group on body confidence — into a reversible, size-inclusive bikini collection. She and a co-founder designed the identity end to end: the "M/S" logo, a black-and-white poppy motif, packaging, and the Taobao storefront it launched on.

121survey respondents
6styles, first collection
S/STaobao launch
Plate II — Case Study

Victoria's Secret

An independent brand-strategy study tracing Victoria's Secret's identity crisis since 2019, built on competitor, SWOT, and PESTEL analysis of its China and global retail data. It closes with an original campaign concept, Be the Woman Who Cannot Be Defined, pairing the brand with tea house Nayuki's Tea to fuse "sensuality" with new-Chinese aesthetics.

SWOT+ PESTEL
72China stores studied
1original campaign
Plate III — Practice

Content & Influence

Styling and photography for a loyal, fashion-and-beauty-minded audience of young women in China and abroad, with paid collaborations across the wardrobe and beauty categories.

100K+followers
1M+likes overall
500K+likes on Douyin

Lookbook

04 — Full Decks

Miss Swan — Entrepreneurial Project Plan

Open full deck (23p, PDF) ↗
P.01 Miss Swan deck, cover page P.12 Miss Swan deck, sample production and photography spread P.23 Miss Swan deck, closing journey review page

Miss Swan — Brand Book

Open full deck (31p, PDF) ↗
P.01 Miss Swan brand book, cover page P.16 Miss Swan brand book, P.31 Miss Swan brand book, closing naming and logo development page

Miss Swan — Hangtag Brand Book

Open full deck (15p, PDF) ↗
P.01 Miss Swan hangtag brand book, overview of the full tag system P.08 Miss Swan hangtag brand book, five-senses tag series P.15 Miss Swan hangtag brand book, closing slogan tags

Victoria's Secret — Case Study Research

Open full deck (33p, PDF) ↗
P.01 Victoria's Secret case study deck, cover page P.17 Victoria's Secret case study deck, pop-up events map spread P.33 Victoria's Secret case study deck, closing references page

鉴 (Jiàn) — Graduation Project, Book Design

Open full deck (34p, PDF) ↗
P.01 Jian graduation book, front cover P.17 Jian graduation book, primary-school years spread P.34 Jian graduation book, back cover

Skills

05 — Tools & Practice

Design & Photography

Photoshop Illustrator Fashion Photography Visual Storytelling Brand Imagery

Operations & Management

Douyin & Xiaohongshu Strategy Team Management Cross-functional Coordination Sales & Competitor Reporting

Campus & Awards

06 — Record
  • Class Monitor · Student Manager
    2021 – 2024
    Ran daily class operations and organized volunteering and outdoor events across three years.
  • Principal Office Manager · Student Union
    2021 – 2022
    Managed administrative operations and served as liaison between departments.
  • First-Class Scholarship
    2022, 2023, 2024
    Top of class for three consecutive years.
  • Outstanding Student Leader
    2022 & 2023
  • Best Office Principal
    Student Union